1. Field of the Invention
This application concerns methods of increasing oil volume production from a given beginning oil source using microbial methods. More specifically, the field of the invention is controllable biotechnological processes conducted on normal and iso-alkane portions of crude oil-water emulsions and/or oil refining cuts by the use of adaptive co-metabolic and symbiotic systems of aerobic/facultative and anaerobic naturally-occurring/genetically engineered, non-pathogenic microorganisms following a repetitive carboxylation-decarboxylation combined (alternating) cycle at surface/subsurface (oxic, oxidant) and/or surface/subsurface (anoxic, reducing) conditions.
2. Related Art
It is known to bio-remediate with microorganisms and in general to enhance oil recovery by injecting microbes into oil bearing formations. One mechanism by which microbes are known to enhance oil recovery (MEOR) includes cracking long chain alkanes into shorter chain alkanes, sometimes referred to as biocracking. Short chain molecules created by biocracking occupy greater volume than long chain molecules. Increased volume has been noted as a benefit associated with the injection of appropriate microbes into oil bearing formations, counteracting any possible loss of mass or carbon atoms to the microbes. The primary benefits of MEOR are principally reducing viscosity, increasing API gravity, reducing cloud point and reducing pour point.
Heretofore, to the inventor's best knowledge, actual increases in crude volume due to biocracking have not been measured in the field or known precisely, nor has microbial biocracking been practiced or optimized to enhance volume. It has not been known whether one could significantly increase the volume of crude oil by microbial treatment, either in a reservoir or upon the surface, and if so, how best, by the injection of microbes, to effect such volume increase.
The instant system and technique has as a first objective specifically enhancing crude volume, since crude oil is sold by volume. The system is tailored to cost effectively increase the volume of oil deliverable to a refinery from a given mass of oil, using biocracking. Reduced viscosity, increased API gravity, reduced cloud point and/or reduced pour point are among other possible benefits of the system.